Main cast: Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris (Deborah), Orlando Jones (Samuel), Tony Todd (The Father), and Jenny Leonhardt (Larry)
Director: Sarah Adina Smith

The latest occupant in Room 104 is Deborah, a nervous woman that is finally meeting her idol: the religious cult leader Samuel. He is here to finally initiate her into the ways of… the Crossroads or something.

The whole thing is about undergoing rituals to “transcend” into another dimension—naturally, by paying for admission fees, course fees, and for tapes starring Tony Todd hamming it up as the cult grand leader.

Orlando Jones does his best to have his character appear super slimy and even predatory, so right away, cynical old me realizes that this episode is likely going to have a twist to have Samuel get a comeuppance. This means, in the grand tradition of anthology show formula, Deborah is likely not who or what she appears to be, and she will deliver the coup de grace just when Samuel thinks that he has everything sewn up.

Well, The Knockadoo follows the formula well, and it actually gets pretty dark as Deborah begins to talk about a traumatic event in her past.

The approach is interesting as it revels in the camp brought upon by Mr Todd’s scenery chewing and the bright acid trip colors of the videos he is in. This contrasts with the darker aspects of the episode in a way that evokes macabre horror in an effective manner. Even the denouement is as likely to make one laugh as it is to shudder.

While this one doesn’t really break any new ground, it at least retreads familiar grounds in a manner that feels fresh and memorable. That’s actually a pretty good thing!